Food safety

HACCP
 Definition and Role of Food Safety
• Practice of ensuring that foods cause no harm to the
consumer
• Three basic operations:
1. Protection of the food supply from harmful
contamination.
2. Prevention of the development and spread of harmful
contamination.
3. Effective removal of contamination and contaminants.
• Food safety hazard: any factor present in food that has
the potential to cause harm to the consumer, either by
causing illness or injury.
– Biological
– Chemical
– Physical
 Food safety (EU)
• „FROM THE FARM TO THE FORK”
• EU food strategy
– Legislation on the safety of food and animal feed
– Sound scientific advice on which to base desicions
– Enforcement and control
• Special measures – consumer protection
– Use of pesticides, food supplements, colourings,
antibiotics, hormones
– Adding vitamins, minerals, etc.
– Products in contact with foodstuffs (e.g. plastic
packaging)
– Labelling rules
 „From farm to the fork” policy
• Covering all sectors of the food chain, including
feed production, primary production, food
processing, storage, transport and retail sale.
• Consumers must also recognize that they are
responsible for the proper storage, handling and
cooking of food.
• Feed manufacturers, farmers and food operators
have the primary responsibility for food safety;
– competent authorities monitor and enforce this
responsibility through the operation of national
surveillance and control systems.
Main sources of food contaminations

Environment

Food Agri-
preparation culture

Animal
Storage FOOD husbandry

Raw
Packaging
Storage

Processing
Classification of foodborne diseases and etiological agents

insects
rodents

Knecthges P.L.: Food safety: Theory and practice. 2012

 Food-related diseases

1. Diet-related noncommunicable diseases

(obesity, cancer, under/malnutrition, CV diseases)
2. Food allergy and intolerance
3. Food-borne diseases
(infection, intoxication)

7SU Dept. of Public Health

 Food-borne diseases
Definition:
Any disease of an infectious or toxic nature caused by
or
thought to be caused by the consumption of food or
water.
It can be:
•Infection
• Salmonellosis,
• Campylobacter enteritis
• Listeriosis
•…
•Intoxication
•Botulism
•Staphylococcal intoxication 8SU Dept. of Public Health

•B. cereus intoxication

Factors contributing to outbreaks of food-borne illness

9SU Dept. of Public Health

Most important factors that affect microbial growth

availability of nutrients

temperature

acidity/pH

available water

oxygen (air)

antimicrobial agents

time

10SU Dept. of Public Health

 Contamination:
how do microorganisms get into food?

11SU Dept. of Public Health

 Food-borne infections
Infectious dose: sufficient number of cells to cause illness
varies between organisms - approx. 105-106
cells/g.

Effect: invasive - non-invasive

Susceptibility: general (YOPI group !!! (Young, Old,

Pregnant, Immunocompromised)

Incubation period: varies between organisms and diseases

12SU Dept. of Public Health

 What are the most common pathogens?

• Campylobacter
• Salmonella
• E. coli O157:H7
• calicivirus, also known as the Norwalk-
like viruses.

13SU Dept. of Public Health

 NUMBER OF REPORTED FOOD
INFECTIONS, HUNGARY

2008 2009 2010

Enteritis infectiosa 35600 29878 35879
Campylobacteriosis 5536 6583 6949
Salmonellosis 7166 6029 5961
Shigellosis 78 42 101
Dyspepsia coli 37 4 17
Yersiniosis 40 51 89
14SU Dept. of Public Health
Salmonellosis

15SU Dept. of Public Health

Salmonellosis

• Transmission: ingestion
of viable organism from
food from infected
animals, food
contaminated with
feces (human or
animal). Primarily foods
of animal origin: eggs,
poultry, meat, milk.

16SU Dept. of Public Health

 Campylobacter enteritis
• Source: intestinal
tract of domestic and
wild animals, foods
(raw milk and poultry).
• Leading cause of bacterial
food-borne gastroenteritis
in the United States (U.S.)
and worldwide.

http://fsrio.nal.usda.gov/document_fsheet.php?product_id=
17SU Dept. of Public Health
231
 Calicivirus or Norwalk-like virus
• extremely common cause of foodborne illness,
• rarely diagnosed, because the laboratory test is not widely
available.
• Symptoms: acute gastrointestinal illness, usually with more
vomiting than diarrhea, that resolves within two days.
• Transmission: unlike many food-borne pathogens that
have animal reservoirs, it is believed that Norwalk-like
viruses spread primarily from one infected person to
another.
– Infected kitchen workers can contaminate a salad or sandwich as
they prepare it, if they have the virus on their hands.
– Infected fishermen have contaminated oysters as they harvested.

18SU Dept. of Public Health

Listeriosis

Pregnant women who get listeriosis may only exhibit flu-like symptoms, but the
illness can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery and infection of the
newborn.
Listeria infection can be prevented by thoroughly cooking all meats (even
lunchmeat, especially if you’re pregnant), avoiding raw or unpasturized milk,
cheese or juice, washing vegetables before eating and cleaning hands, knives and
cutting boards after dealing with raw meat. 19SU Dept. of Public Health
 Enteroviral infections
Coxsackie A ( herpangina)

Rotavírus- infections

Norwalk-vírus enteritis

Echo 1, 6, 9 + coxsackie A4 Bornholm disease

(Pleurodynia)

20SU Dept. of Public Health

 E. Coli infections
• Most common: 0 157: H7

GERMANY: E. Coli O104:H4 May-July 2011

• spread mostly by contaminated sprouts, and in just a few
cases, from close contact with a sick person.
• Europe (Germany, France) and North America
• Shiga toxin
• bloody diarrhea, kidney failure, affect nervous system. The
toxin can cause clots to form in small blood vessels. As red
blood cells try to pass through the clots they get damaged,
causing anemia.
• 4,075 cases (including 908 cases complicated by HUS) and 50
deaths in 16 countries
 Microbiological hazard
BACTERIA
original and foreign microflora
facultative pathogens (105-106) Str. faecalis,
Cl. perfringens, B. cereus, Proteus, Ps aeruginosa,
Klebsiella
obligate pathogens Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter,
enteropathogenic E. coli, Staphylococcus, Cl. botulinum

• FUNGI
• moulds infesting bulk food (grains, coffee etc.)

• Aspergillus flavus
• aflatoxin – peanuts, corn, soya; LD50: 0,5-10 mg/kg b.w., liver toxic, carcinogenic
• Asp. ochraceus
• ochratoxin – nephrotoxic (Balkan nephropathy), carcinogenic
• Fusarium : zearalenon – estrogenic effect (corn, grain)
carcinogenic?
• Claviceps purpurea – ergotism (grains)
• ergot alcaloids: vasoconstriction, gangrene of the limbs (~1 g)
• Peniccilium patulatum: patulin – oedema, carcinogenesis
• Fusarium: Trichothecenes – grains, corn (hemorrhage)
 Chemical hazards – Toxins in plants

• Lathyrus peas: - cyanogenic amino acids  aminopropionitril

 lathyrismus. Symptoms: cramps in the calves, spastic
paralysis, paralysed inner organs, mental
disorders. (India, 1945)
• Fava beans: vicin, convicin  favism (Mediterranean, Iraq, with
inherited low G-6-P dehydrogenase); anemia,
spleno/hepatomegalia
• Cyanide: bitter almonds, other stony fruits (cyanogenic glycosides
in the stones)  brandy, sweets
• Oxalic acid: spinach, garden sorrel, rhubarb  Ca depletion
• Solanine: green parts of potatoes parasympathic effect
• Strumigenic substances: Brassica spp. (cabbages, kale,
cauliflower etc.) incorporation of I2 inhibited
• Atropine – honey (no honey for infants)
 Natural toxins
Toxins of plants Sources
mycotoxins toxic mushrooms
oxalic acids spinach, rhubarb, sorrel
atropine honey
cyanide almond
solanine potato
morphine poppy
ricine ricinus
protease inhibitors soya
vicine Vicia faba – enzimdeficiency
Toxins of animals Sources
paralititic shell-intoxication shellfishes
tetradotoxin fugu
 Death cap
(Amanita phalloides)
Gyilkos galóca

Toxin: amanitin, phalloidin

Effect: liver

Collar, sporangium: white, straw

25SU Dept. of Public Health
 White death cap
Amanita phalloides

Initially, gastrointestinal symptoms

• abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, vomiting,
dehydration,
After 2-3 days, liver involvement may then
occur
• jaundice, diarrhea, delirium, seizures, coma,
fulminant hepatic failure and hepatic
encephalopathy, renal failure, coagulopathy
Fly agaric (Amanita muscaria)
Toxin: atropin, scopolamin, ibotenic acid, muscarin, muscason
Effect: parasympathetic, hallucinogen, psychotrop

27SU Dept. of Public Health

Panther cap (Amanita pantherina)
Toxins: atropin, skopolamin, muscamol .Effect: parasympathetic,
palsy 28SU Dept. of Public Health
 What are the tasks of the GP in case of mushroom poisoning?
• Suspicion of mushroom poisoning is aroused by mild to severe gastrointestinal and
autonomic symptoms following the ingestion of a meal containing mushrooms.
• If the meal was eaten within the last few hours and the patient did not vomit,
gastric lavage should be attempted following the administration of activated
charcoal or vomiting should be induced (ipecac syrup, warm salty water) and
laxatives may also be useful – this also applies to the people who ate from the
mushroom but may still be asymptomatic.
• Report food poisoning to the local health care authority.
• The
patient and those who ate from the mushroom should
immediately be admitted to a hospital for close supervision and
treatment of symptoms (dehydration, autonomic symptoms, respiratory failure…).
• Any further consumption of the mushroom is to be prevented
without delay.
• Samples of the raw mushroom, the prepared food, vomitus, stomach
wash fluid and stool should be sent to the appropriate health
authority’s special laboratory (in Hungary: National Institute for Food Hygiene &
Nutrition) 29SU Dept. of Public Health
30SU Dept. of Public Health
Incorporation of whole raw bitter almonds is fairly
dangerous
because, in this case, all of its hydrocyanic acid is
formed in one's stomach.
Serious poisoning is quite rare with adults, but children
may be killed by just a few bitter almonds.

31SU Dept. of Public Health

Potato, which contains the poison glycoalkaloid solanine
in all its parts but mostly in the blossoms and in the fruit.
Its content is extremely high when tubers are unripe or green as a result of incorrect
storage but they cannot cause poisoning because solanin decomposes when
boiled.
Oxalic acids
Nephrotoxic, irritate the gut. In rhubarb, sorrel, spinach5

33SU Dept. of Public Health

Canola was developed in Canada and its name is
a contraction of "Canadian oil, low acid". Natural rapeseed oil
contains erucic acids, which is mildly toxic to humans
in large doses.

Rapeseed field

34SU Dept. of Public Health

Vicia fava
(vicine and convicine
content)

Ingestion of fava beans (Vicia faba) in the fresh, frozen and dried forms have
long been held to be able to cause haemolysis.
It's occurrence is common in countries of the Middle East and the
Mediterranean. Although all persons with favism are glucose-6-phosphate
dehydrogenase deficient, not every glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficient
subject develops haemolysis after ingestion of fava beans. 35SU Dept. of Public Health
 Chemical hazards – Toxins of animal origin
• Paralytic shellfish poisoning: shellfish accumulate
saxitoxin
from dinoflagellate algae
Symptoms: Acral paralysis, dysphagia, ataxia,
general muscle weakness & paralysis
(respiratory  death)

• „Fugu” (swellfish, Tetrodon rubripes; Japan, China)

tetrodotoxin, acting on Na-channels)

Biogenic amines
histamine
tyramine („cheese reaction”)
serotonin
monoaminergic effects
Fugu fish - tetradotoxin

37SU Dept. of Public Health

Shellfish poisoning is caused by a group of toxins
found in planktonic algae (in most cases dinoflagellates)
upon which the shellfish feed. The toxins are accumulated and
sometimes metabolized by the shellfish.
The 20 toxins responsible for paralytic shellfish poisonings
(PSP) are all derivates of saxitoxin

Dinoflagellata
38SU Dept. of Public Health
 Food additives
• not normally consumed as a food in itself (used as
an ingredient of a food), but is intentionally added
to achieve a specific technological function
• are used
– to preserve the nutritional quality of the food;
– to provide necessary ingredients or constituents for
foods manufactured for groups of consumers having
special dietary needs;
– to enhance the keeping quality or stability of a food or
improve its organoleptic properties;
– to provide aids in manufacture, processing,
preparation, treatment, packing, transport or storage of
food.
http://www.food.gov.uk/policy-advice/additivesbranch/enumberlist#Antioxidants
 Food additives
• Colourings
– Today, mainly natural substances, extracts
– Earlier: many synthetics, mostly banned by now
• Flavourings and sweeteners
– Natural (spices, herbs), nature identical (aromas)
– NaCl – hypertension
– Flavor enhancer: Na-glutamate
– Sweeteners: sugar derivatives (xylitol, sorbitol)
no energy (saccharine, aspartam, cyclamate etc.)
• Stabilizers
– Natural gelling agents (agar-agar, pectin, alginate)
– Co – to stabilize beer froth  myocardial hypertrophy
• Preservatives
– Salicylic acid (banned), benzoic acid
– Sorbic, propionic, citric acid: preferred
– Nitrite/nitrate – in meat products  nitrosamines (cc.)
– Sugar, salt – excess intake
• Antioxidants
– Butil-hydroxy-toluol, propil gallate, vitamin C and E
 Food contamination of
environmental origin (inorganics)

Pollutants  soil, surface waters  plants  humans

animals


• Nitrate: N-fertilizers  vegetables (spinach, sorrel, radish)

methemoglobinemia in infants
• Metals
– Pb: industry, traffic  plants, surface and absorbed 
animals – neurotoxicity
– Hg: Minamata disease – paralysis, ataxia, tremor, emotional
lability, sensory deficits, acute high dose: coma, death
– Cd: Itai-itai disease – lumbar vertebrae crushed ,
proteinuria, glaucoma
– As: sea food, drinking water
Food contamination of
environmental origin (organics, isotopes)
• Persistent pesticides (DDT –dichloro-diphenyl trichlotethan)

• PCB, PCDD, PCDF:

– lipid soluble, persistent, ubiquitous, accumulated and
amplified in biota
– deposited in fat tissue, passing the placenta, present in
breast milk
– Japan (Yusho), Taiwan (Yu-chen): contaminated rice oil
– Symptoms: brown pigmented skin, nails, lips, chlorine acne,
palpebral edema, jaundice, seeing and hearing problems

• Radioactive isotopes
– atmosphere  soil, plants surface (14C, 131I, 90Sr, 137Cs)
– Chernobyl 1986 -131I, 134Cs, 137Cs
 Technological contaminations
• PAH: smoked, grilled food (also: over-baked/fried)
benz-a-pyrene etc.: carcinogens

• Dissolved components (from vessels, packaging etc.)

Adulterating effect, health damage

– Metals
• Pb lead enamels/glazings (leaching at low pH)
• Sn – 99.9% – food cans - oxidation
• Cu, Al – from vessels, barrels – off-taste, toxicity

– Plastics: machinery, packaging

• PET – „safe for food”
• PVC - monomers and plastifier leaching, only cling foil allowed

• Detergents: irritant

• Pesticides, hormones, antibiotics

– Decay times, residue levels limitations of use
– Adolescents’ disturbed development
– AB resistance developing
 Helminths and insects

• Helminths

- sewage irrigation, fertilization with manure

(strawberrries, lettuce etc.)
- infested farm and wild swine - trichinelliasis
- infested swine and cattle - taeniasis

• Insects

- visiting foodstuffs (flies, cockroaches:

transmitting diseases)
- living in food (moths etc.)
 Food allergy
• Allergies → type I, III and IV hypersensitivity

– Influenced by
• Eating habits
• Intestinal wall conditions (inflammation: better absorption)
• Genetic disposition (high IgE and IgG)
Frequent food allergens
 Food allergy
Frequent allergens
 natural
 Cow milk (α-lactoglobulin, γ-globulin)
 eggs (ovomucoid, ovalbumin)
 fish (M-allergen)
 peanuts
 tree nuts
 additives
 Na-glutamate (type I - „Chinese restaurant syndrome”)
blush, tearing, headache, thoracic pain
 contaminations
 „Toxic oil syndrome” Spain, 1981 (fake olive oil; type IV,
20,000 diseased, 300 died), Symptoms: myalgia,
pulmonary infiltrates, eosinophilia (↑ IgE, Eo)
 Cross-contaminant food substances (soybeans,
peanuts)
Food intolerance and food toxicity

Food intolerance

A general term describing an abnormal physiologic response to an

ingested food or food additive; this reaction may be an
immunologic,idiosyncratic,metabolic pharmacologic,or toxic response

Food toxicity (poisoning)

A term use to imply an adverse effect caused by the direct action of

a food or food additive on the host recipient without the involvement
of immune mechanisms. This type of reaction may involve
nonimmune release of chemical mediators. Toxins may be contained
within (food or released by microorganisms or parasites contaminating
food products.
Idiosyncratic Reactions to Foods
What are the GMO?

 Are organisms in which genetic material has

been altered in a way that does not occur
naturally by mating and / or natural
recombination
 What is a Genetically Modified
(GM) Food?
• Foods has sequences of DNA from another
organism inserted into its genome in order
to get a desired phenotype.
• Foods that contain an added gene
sequence
• Foods that have a deleted gene sequence
• Animal products from animals fed GM
feed
• Products produced by GM organisms
 The most desirable agricultural
GMO species (2003)

GMO field species Area of field used for

GMO (%)
soybean 55

rape 16

cotton 21

corn 11
Field releases of GMO’s in 2003 by
country
 Purpose of gentic engeneering on
plants
• Resistance to diseases and pathogenes (bacteria, fungi,
viruses, insects5)
• Resistance to novel herbicides
• Protection against abiotic stress – salinity, drought, frost5
• Functional food (cancer protecting tomato, 5)
• Improved nutritional value in different food products
• Increased amount of vitamins in products (golden rice –
provitamin A)
• Improved aroma, taste and structure of agricultural
products
• Improved fiber quality (cotton)
 Advantages

Reduced use of pesticides and herbicides

►Development of pest resistant crops
►Reduced herbicide use is better for the
environment and reduces costs for farmers
►less machine cultivation
►less fuel used -> less emission of CO2
in the athmosphere
 Advantages
• Herbicid tolerance
• Insect resistance
• Virus resistance
• Easing of world hunger
 Development of crops that can be grown in marginal soil
 Reduced strain on nonrenewable resources
 Development of drought resistant crops
 Development of salt-tolerant crops
 Development of crops that make more efficient use of nitrogen and
other nutrients
 Advantages

Improved crop quality

 Development of frost resistant crops
 Development of disease resistant crops
 Development of flood resistant crops

Improved nutritional quality

 Development of foods designed to meet specific
nutritional goals
 Disadvantages
• Gene expression –Mendel’ s law of independent
assortiment - every gene determinate one
charachteristics
– more genes determines one characteristics or more
genes determine more characteristics =>changing
one gene may influence in change of more features

• Gene dynamics – during the lifetime of the cell

expression of genes may change –one period are
active some genes and second period another
genes– how to determine exactely expression of a
new inserted gene?
 Disadvantages
• Coincidence of genes of different organisms
exl: plants, animals, people eating plants-plants are
developed defense against herbivores- toxines
In thousands of years genetically supported
neutralisations for undesirable vegetable products
developed (in our saliva)
• Evolution – selection are always linked with food –
too sensitive persons (food) dissapeared from
population
• New food (exotic or GMO) – increase of alergy
• Digestion of proteins in intestinum – procese can
stop in the level of undigested particles -> biotic
effects???
 Disadvantages
• Pollination
transfere of pollen and genes by
insects even in the area of more km
from field with GMO
usually inside the species
rare between relative species
very rare or periodical transfer between
different species (weed)
 Disadvantages
• Transfer of genes from GMO to weed
plant- develope of high tolerante weeds
• GM plant become weed – high
herbicide tolerance –difficulties with
control of growth
• The migration of inserted genes from
cultivated plants to wild species
• Artificially created selection pressure
could lead to a dominance of GMO
 Disadvantages

Insects might develop

resistance to pesticide-
producing GM crops

Herbicide-tolerant crops
may cross-pollinate weeds,
resulting in "superweeds„

There may be unintended

harm to wildlife and beneficial
insects
 Political strategy in EU countries
• EU - possibilities for all types of agriculture
(classic, ecological, GMO5)
• Consumer must have possibility to choose
between GMO and others; declarations on food
articles are obligated
• Each EU country can choose freelly her own
strategy for use of GMO; by consideration of EU
Directives

http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/panels/gmo.htm
 HACCP
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points

• HACCP is a management system in which food

safety is addressed through the analysis and
control of biological, chemical, and physical
hazards from raw material production,
procurement and handling, to manufacturing,
distribution and consumption of the finished
product.

• A systematic approach to the identification,

evaluation, and control of food safety hazards.
 Hazard

Presence of any health-endangering substance in

foodstuffs.

• Biological (viruses, bacteria, helminths etc.)

• Physical (foreign substances – splitters, stones, kernels,

hairs, egg shells)

• Chemical (toxic substance, generated locally or

originating from outside – pesticides etc.)
 7 principles of HACCP

Principle 1: Conduct a hazard analysis.

Principle 2: Determine the critical control points (CCPs).

Principle 3: Establish critical limits.

Principle 4: Establish monitoring procedures.

Principle 5: Establish corrective actions.

Principle 6: Establish verification procedures.

Principle 7: Establish record-keeping and documentation

procedures.
 Concepts in HACCP
Control:
(a) To manage the conditions of an operation to maintain
compliance with established criteria.
(b) The state where correct procedures are being followed and
criteria are being met.
Control Measure:
Any action or activity that can be used to prevent, eliminate or
reduce a significant hazard.
Control Point:
Any step at which biological, chemical, or physical factors can
be controlled.
Corrective Action:
Procedures followed when a deviation occurs.
Criterion:
A requirement on which a judgement or decision can be based.
 Concepts in HACCP

Critical Control Point:

A step at which control can be applied and is essential to
prevent or eliminate a food safety hazard or reduce it to an
acceptable level.

Critical Limit:
A maximum and/or minimum value to which a biological,
chemical or physical parameter must be controlled at a
CCP to prevent, eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level
the occurrence of a food safety hazard.

Deviation:
Failure to meet a critical limit.

HACCP Plan:
The written document which is based upon the principles
of HACCP and which delineates the procedures to be followed.
MAKE FOOD SAFETY
What does HACCP cover?